


The Color Of The Sky

by orphan_account



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: How Do I Tag, M/M, Magical Creatures AU, but not everyone is magical ;), its better than the summary i promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-05-11 00:37:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5607064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Byakuya Togami knew that humans were not to be trusted, but...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

It was a stormy night, and Togami had nowhere to go. He sat outside the forest, drenched and tired. Celeste had kicked him out of her house, saying most of the vampires would not appreciate him there, which would ruin her business. This left him with no safe place to go to. Togami could not even make a temporary shelter because he had exhausted his magic keeping a certain two-headed vampire away from him. There were two ways to basically refresh his ‘supply’ you could say. He could get a full day of sleep or he could absorb a fairy’s power. Of course, he could not do either of those things right then. 

Togami looked up at the clouds, lightning flashing and rain falling. He knew he would not survive the night. He would most likely be killed by the storm or a person. He was no fool, he did not trust the humans in the village. They were completely against anything that was not ‘normal’. What gave them the right to decide what was normal anyway? Angry, Togami bit his lip and hugged his knees to his chest. He was about to try to get up, but, over the loud thunder, he heard people talking. 

“Are you sure you're okay, Hajime? That was --”

“Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, Makoto. Don't worry too much. It happens sometimes. Hey, stop looking at me like that!”

“Sorry. But you've never h-- Hey! Is someone over there?” Togami cursed under his breath. This was the end. There was no way they'd let him live. Sighing, he tried to stand up. He was not going to go down without a fight. But as soon as both his knees left the ground, he fell right back down. _Pathetic_ , he thought. 

“Sir! Mister! Are you all right?” one of the boys asked. Now they were mocking him. Togami ignored him and hung his head. He wanted them to get it over with. He felt a hand on his shoulder, sending a sudden warmth through his entire arm. One of them grabbed him from behind and lifted him up with a grunt. The other let go of his shoulder and picked up his legs. What were they doing? Was he going to be hanged? Utterly confused, Togami opened his eyes. They were carrying him towards the village. Were they going to kill him in front of everyone? 

After a while in silence, the two people began to speak. “So, uh, what are we gonna do with him?” the one carrying his upper body asked. 

“Take him to the house. We have some spare blankets, right?” Blankets? Were they going to suffocate him? Clean up his blood with them? 

“Yeah, I think so. What will Komaru say when we bring home a random stranger?” The one holding his legs laughed. 

“Who knows?”

They continued with no more conversation until they reached what Togami assumed was their house. The boy carrying his legs dropped them, and went to unlock the door. While he did that, the one still holding him leaned down to whisper in Togami’s ear.

“We'll get you some blankets and stuff. Don't worry, okay? You're gonna be all right. I swear it.” What was that supposed to mean? Did he say that just to lure Togami into a false sense of security? He shook his head weakly. The stranger dragged him into the house, laying him on a chair. 

“Alright, Hajime, you sit down, too. I'll make some soup and hopefully not wake Komaru up.” The other male -- Hajime, Togami assumed -- reluctantly sat down in the chair across from the blond. They stared at each other for a while before the one making soup returned with three steaming bowls. He set them on the table, one in front of each person.

“I will not eat this,” Togami said hoarsely. The two males looked over at him, clearly surprised. 

“Wh-what? Why not?” the one who made the soup asked. 

“You don't have the right to be picky, really. We probably just saved your life and Makoto made soup to help you feel better! Don't waste our food, if you would,” Hajime said irritably. 

“Hajime, it's fine. Um, if you'd please explain why you won't eat the soup…” Makoto trailed off.

“I believe you poisoned mine, so I refuse to eat it,” Togami stated. 

“What?” Hajime exclaimed. 

“You heard me.” 

“Oh,” Makoto simply said. He grabbed his own spoon and ate some of Togami’s soup. “See? It's completely safe, I promise.” Togami crossed his arms, but eventually gave in. He picked up his spoon and ate a bit of it. He realized all eyes were on him, and as he swallowed, he knew they were merely trying to help. 

“Oh. _Oh_ ,” Togami whispered, more to himself than them. He grabbed the whole bowl and drank from it until all that was left was a basil leaf. Letting out a breath, he fell back into the chair.

“Woah,” Hajime said. 

“Anyway, I'm Makoto Naegi, and this is Hajime Hinata. You can stay here as long as you need,” Makoto -- no -- Naegi said. 

“But, uh, just how long do you think you'll need? We don't have much room in our house, so…” Hinata said, frowning slightly. 

“Just tonight is fine. I can figure something out tomorrow.”

“What do you mean, ‘figure something out’?” Naegi asked. 

“Nothing,” Togami answered. The discussion ended there. Naegi offered the warlock his room to sleep in, and Togami agreed that that was a great idea. Hinata clearly didn't like it, but said nothing. Togami was led upstairs by Naegi, who practically pushed him onto the bed. The shorter male told him to have sweet dreams, and then promptly left. 

Togami wished his head had listened to the boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im really bad with writing schedules but look for a chapter once or twice a week


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Togami just wanted a peaceful night for once.

Togami’s dreams that night were anything but sweet.

He was sitting on a throne, a crown on his head. Someone was running away from him with something in their hand. A knife? Looking down, Togami saw a long gash reaching from his collarbone to his abdomen. 

The dream shifted. He was on a small wooden boat in the middle of the ocean. The sun was beating down on his skin, and the cold water beneath him made him feel queasy. Not with seasickness, but the fear of the unknown. Even though it was sunny, the water was pitch black. He looked away and up at the sky. But the sky was suddenly dark. Confused and scared, Togami sat down in the boat and hugged his knees to his chest. A wave of water washed over the pathetic boat and him, leaving the blond drenched and freezing. Shivering, Togami searched for anything that could help him, but the only thing there was a piece of paper.

Before he could read it, his dream changed again. He was sitting in a wooden chair in a pure white room. He looked around, but it was too bright to make anything out clearly. He heard a bunch of voices, but they all just blended together into a jumble, leaving Togami helplessly confused. He tried to run his hand through his hair, but he couldn't move. Panicking, the blond glanced around, but all he could see was white. Thoughts buzzed through his head, and he wasn't sure if he was thinking or if it was people around him. Suddenly he saw something other than the pure white light. He saw a hand reaching out to him, and, finding he could move again, took it. It pulled him out of the seat and into a warm embrace. Just as he welcomed the hug, though, he felt a knife sink into his back.

Togami woke up in a cold sweat. It was still dark outside, but the storm had stopped. Sitting up, he put on his glasses and slowly made his way out of the room. The hallway was pitch black. He walked with his back against the wall, but he fell backwards into a room with an open door. He let out an involuntary yelp, effectively waking up the owner of the room.

“Huh? Who's there? Makoto?” a girl said drowsily. Togami sat there on the floor, stock still, until he heard footsteps approaching him. The girl ended up tripping over him. “Hm, too tall for Makoto… Hajime?”

“Um, yes. Yes, it is I, Hajime Hinata,” Togami said, hoping the girl was too asleep to realize that, no, this wasn't the real Hinata. 

“Who are you?” she asked, panic clear in her voice. Togami dragged his hand down his face. Wow, was he stupid. Of course she'd notice that he wasn't someone she lived with. 

“I'm actually… your house guest,” he said simply.

“Don't lie to me!” she yelled threateningly.

“No, really! You can ask M-Naegi! Or even Hinata!” Togami threw his hands up.

“I am Naegi! Komaru Naegi!”

“Oh, so you're who they didn't want to wake up…”

“What's going on in here?” Hinata yawned. There was a candle in his left hand, letting Togami get a good look at Komaru Naegi. She had short brown hair that was a tad darker than Makoto Naegi’s. She had a glass vase in her hands, and Togami figured that she was not going to use it for flowers. 

“This guy came into my room in the middle of the night!” 

“I actually f--”

“What the hell, um…” Hinata trailed off.

“Byakuya Togami.”

“What the hell, Togami? Breaking into a girl's room, really? I should kick you out right now!”

“I didn't -- ugh, never mind. If you're going to kick m--” Togami was once again interrupted, but this time by the first Naegi he had met.

“Why is everyone yelling?” he asked calmly, rubbing his eyes. His hair was messier than it was when Togami first saw it, which is saying something. 

“Apparently this sicko just broke into your sister's room,” Hinata said. Togami didn't even try to correct him. They were going to throw him out onto the streets because of some misunderstanding. What a great night for Byakuya Togami. 

“Did he really do anything, though? He didn't harass you, did he, Komaru?” Naegi asked his sister. 

“W-well, no, I guess not. But he did pretend to be Hajime!” Komaru added. 

“I was hoping you would be too asleep to know that I wasn't,” Togami tried to explain himself. Why were humans so difficult? 

“Whatever, just please, everyone, get out of my room,” Komaru said, waving dismissively. The three boys obliged, and continued their conversation in the hall. 

“Togami, really, you could have just told her we brought you here. There was no need to pretend to be me,” Hinata laughed.

“Well, I didn't know how she'd react.”

“Let's just leave it at that for the night. Good night, you two,” Naegi said, smiling. He walked away, leaving Togami and Hinata alone. The latter stared after him before turning around and abandoning Togami. What was he supposed to do now? He refused to go back to sleep after the dreams he'd had. Sighing, he made his way back to the room and opened the shutters. A gust of cold wind blew in his face. He pulled his robes tighter around himself absently. 

He stood there for a while, breathing in the fresh air. He closed his eyes and sighed. He remembered when he had it all: a big house, a family, lots of food. But then it had been torn away from him. His happy life had been ruined by a banshee of all things. Why the banshee spared him out of everyone else was still a mystery to him even after fourteen years. He had only recently found out that it wasn't a human anyway. Now there Togami was, letting people take care of him. He should have been stronger than that. 

A high-pitched cackle tore him away from his thoughts. He looked down to see the one thing he really did not want to see. There, staring up at him, was Touko Fukawa and Genocider Syo. The two-headed vampire he had been trying to get away from earlier. That night was not going the way Togami wanted. 

“Heya, Master Byakuya!” Syo called, waving scissors about in her right hand. Fukawa looked away from Togami long enough to glare at her conjoined twin. 

“W-will you shut up? You'll wake up everyone in the village! I told you we should have gone to Celeste first,” she said.

“Who cares about that wretched hag? We're with Master now, so it's all fine. Right? No need for illusions and crap!” Syo grinned, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. Togami wondered briefly how she slept with a tongue that long.

“You are s-so reckless! What if the humans see us?” 

“So what? I'll slice them all up nice and pretty,” Syo giggled. Togami groaned.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he called down to them, careful not to wake up the three owners of the house. 

“We came here to rescue you, Master Byakuya! Save you from these nasty humans!” Syo yelled while Fukawa tried to shush her. Togami was about to respond, but the front door opened and Naegi stepped out. The warlock watched in horror as Naegi covered his mouth, most likely to muffle a scream. But he quickly lowered his hands and stepped towards the vampire. Fukawa and Syo took a step back.

“Wh-what are you, um, doing here?” Naegi asked, voice shaky.

“We already answered this!” Syo yelled, throwing up her hands. “We came to save Master from you fiends.”

“Master? Fiends?” Naegi repeated.

“Uh-huh. Now give me -- I mean us,” Syo glanced over at Fukawa, “Master Byakuya or be chopped to bits!”

“Byakuya? There's no -- Oh. You mean…” Naegi trailed off and looked up at Togami. Togami’s eyes widened and his spine went rigid. He distantly felt his glasses slide off his nose and onto the ground by Naegi’s feet. He quickly closed the shutters, leaving him in the dark room belonging to Makoto Naegi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyy cliffhangers are great i hope you guys like them bc there will be a lot ;)


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Togami doesn't know where to go or what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey remember when i said i was bad at writing schedules? well

Of course this would happen to him. The only good thing about that night was the soup he had had. Groaning, Togami opened the door. The hallway was still dark and empty, meaning Naegi was most likely still outside. Togami walked towards where he believed the stairs were, almost tripping and falling once he found them.

He slowly made his way downstairs in the dark. When he reached the bottom, he shuffled to the front door. Upon opening it, he saw Naegi backing away from the two-headed vampire. Fukawa was squeezing her eyes shut while Syo approached the boy with her scissors waving wildly. Soon, Naegi backed into him.

He looked up at Togami with the same fear in his eyes when he looked at Syo. Togami didn't like that look. Not on this boy and not directed at him. As Syo finally reached Naegi, Togami acted before he even knew what he was doing. He grabbed Naegi’s shoulders and pushed the latter behind him. The scissors paused, right before they would have stabbed him in the stomach.

“I-I-I… What?! Master Byakuya? What are you doing? Sh-she could have killed you! Why did y-you save the h-h-human?” Fukawa stammered. Her eyes were wide behind her glasses and her cheeks were bright red. Syo’s smile was slowly shifting into a frown.

“Why? Why did you--?” Naegi began.

“I… Why did I do that? Why would I save a human? Why did I… put your life before my own? I don't- I don't even know you!” Togami mumbled, staring down at the scissors that could have ended his life. He glared at them for a minute before he stormed off in the direction of the forest.

Togami continued deep into the forest, trying not to think about anything. He stared at the ground the whole time, though he couldn't see much with the trees blocking the moonlight. He stopped when his legs started to feel like jelly. Leaning against a tree, he thought about what he had done.

He could see the way Naegi had looked at him in his mind. He envisioned the brunet’s body ending up the way all of Syo’s victims did: crucified by scissors in an alley, cuts running up and down the body, two tiny holes on each side of the neck.

Why was he thinking about that? Togami should just have forgotten it. He'd never see the human again, so what did it matter? Surely Fukawa and Syo would forget at some point, right? Sighing, Togami began to trudge in the direction of the only place he'd be accepted. The one place in the world where he could let everything out. He could rant, cry, laugh, or scream. No one would care. Not one living thing.

He opened the cemetery gates slowly, flinching when they creaked. He had the path to his family memorized. Left, straight, right. There they were, as always. The fifteen tombstones lined up perfectly. For some reason Togami still did not know, none of them had a name engraved on them. No surname, nothing. All that was written was, “ _Rest In Peace, A Fallen Star_.” Togami had long forgotten which grave was whose, and had even forgotten all their names.

Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him. Great, this was just what he needed. He turned around to see who or what it was. At first he saw nothing, but when he looked closely, he thought he could see something moving. Or was that just because he didn't have his glasses?

“Yo, you there. What the fuck do you think you're doing in my territory?” a voice asked.

“Excuse me? This is a cemetery, and cemeteries sometimes have visitors,” Togami scoffed.

“Not this one. No one has come here for over ten years, and, by fairy law, means it's okay to have as part of my territory. So, get the hell outta here!” the voice yelled.

“Oh, just fuck off, you little pest.” Togami was not going to deal with this. The tiny beast flew quickly into view. Right in front of his face, thankfully. At least he could see it.

“Alright, you bastard, I understand that you might have dead loved ones here. But, by _fairy law_ , this land is mine. And I need you to go right now. Do you know how dead I'd be if someone found out I let a goddamn warlock of all things on my territory?” The fairy scowled.

“Do you think I care?” Togami asked, scowling back. He hated fairies.

“Look, my name is Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu. If you would kindly go the hell away, I'd be much obliged. I'd rather not do this the hard way,” Kuzuryu told him, gaze shifting nervously. Togami stood his ground, crossing his arms.

“And I'd rather not have to crush your tiny body, but, y’know, it's up to you.”

“Excuse me?” Kuzuryu snarled. “I'm sorry, I must have heard you wrong. Did you just try to threaten me on my own land, motherfucker?”

“I didn't try to threaten you. I did threaten you. There's a difference, but, considering your pea-sized brain, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.” Togami deadpanned. He was tired of everything at this point. He wanted to go home, to his living family before the cursed banshee attack. He knew it was impossible, but a boy could dream, right?

Kuzuryu glowered at him, hands on his small hips. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but a loud explosion interrupted him. It came from deeper within the forest, Togami realized.

“What the hell was that?” Kuzuryu whispered, staring hard at Togami as if he knew. Togami shrugged; he didn't exactly care. All he cared about was finding a place to sleep.

“You expect me to know? All I know is that you will let me inside your little nest and allow me to sleep on the extra bed that all of you bugs have,” he told Kuzuryu.

“Huh-uh. No way. First off, why the hell would I let you use it? Secondly, it's already taken. So, fuck off.”

“Taken? By whom exactly?” Togami asked, genuinely curious. The fairy didn't answer. Instead he just zipped away. Typical. Togami really hated fairies. Scowling, Togami looked around for something he could sleep on. Of course, there was nothing but tombstones. Togami decided to give up on his pride in the meantime and left the cemetery. He headed even deeper into the forest. Maybe the elves would give him a temporary shelter.

He finally reached the tree village after an hour of walking. He could see the sky beginning to turn a lighter color. What a bother. Togami knocked on the thickest tree in the center. He heard whispering erupt from all around him. It stopped right before part of the tree opened to reveal an elf with short pink hair standing there.

“...Yes?” she said, sounding tired. She had a bag slung across her shoulders, filled with who-knows-what.

“My name is Byakuya Togami. Warlock.”

“And?”

“And I would like a bed to sleep in for the ni-day,” Togami said. “Please.”

“Um, sure, I guess? Let me ask my friend really quickly.” And with that, the elf closed the door. Togami waited, hoping against hope they'd let him stay. He crossed his arms, trying to appear cool.

He jumped a mile when the door opened again.

“Hey, hey, my friend says it's fine, so come on in,” the girl said. He stepped into the tree, and was suddenly enveloped in complete darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow so many cliffhangers im sorry


	4. Four

Togami closed his eyes. There was no point in keeping them open in that darkness. After about thirty seconds, he opened his eyes. He was standing in the middle of the tree village. Elves were rushing about, skillfully avoiding falling off the side. No one paid him a glance, and, for that, Togami was forever grateful. He liked elves. They were so different from those wretched fairies.

“If you'd follow me, I'll show you to where you can sleep,” the pink-haired elf said. She began to walk on the wooden paths, smiling at elves that all appeared to be half-asleep. Togami did as she said and trailed behind her. They reached one of the many small rooms scattered among the village. There was no door, only a bundle of vines.

“Is this it?” Togami asked. The elf looked up at him, cheeks puffed.

“If you don't want it, then you could go back and sleep on the ground,” she grumbled. Togami quickly apologized. “Anyway, there's a bed and blankets. Make yourself at home. Though someone is coming tomorrow, and this is their room, so you might want to clear out by then.”

“Alright, thanks,” Togami said. The girl nodded and walked away. He pushed the vines to the side and ducked inside. His head brushed against the ceiling, but he supposed it didn't matter considering he just needed to sleep. There was a bed in the other corner of the room, and Togami was surprised to see that it was relatively big. He couldn't see much else too clearly without his glasses, though. Sighing, he laid down on the bed. He fell asleep almost immediately.

-+-+-+-

“Um? Who are you?” a voice pulled Togami out of his slumber. He groaned and cracked an eye open. There, looming over him was someone with long, dark hair and vibrant red eyes. Thankful for his near-sightedness for once, he could make out most of the man’s features. The stranger reminded him of someone. 

“Ah, uh, hello,” Togami said drowsily. He dragged himself out of the bed, running a hand through his tangled hair. The dark-haired male crossed his arms. 

“What are you doing here? Who are you?” 

“Byakuya Togami. I just came for a place to sleep for the day, so if you'd excuse me, I'll be on my way.” The blond bowed mockingly. 

“Well, there's no need for you to leave right now. At least stay for dinner,” the stranger suggested, seemingly oblivious to Togami’s making fun of him. “My name is Izuru Kamukura, by the way. Sorry for waking you up.”

“Huh? Oh, um, okay. I mean, it's okay,” Togami stammered. Damn it, what was wrong with him lately? Was it his inability to see clearly? 

There was another explosion. 

“What the hell is that?” Togami yelled, covering his ears. He glanced over at Kamukura to see him in a similar position. His ears rang. This explosion was much closer than the other one. He could smell smoke and magic. The latter made his head jerk up. Of course. Magic. Togami stumbled out of the room. He tried to make his way to the tree that would take him back to the ground, but his eyesight and the ringing in his ears were not helping. 

He ended up falling off the side of one of the paths. Even through the ringing, Togami heard a loud crack. The pain blossomed from his leg and head, spreading throughout his body. A scream escaped his lips. It was excruciating. His vision almost completely white, he dragged himself away from the tree village. His body was going numb. He couldn't think. He distantly felt his arm hit something soft, like cotton. Then he promptly passed out.

* * *

When he regained consciousness, Togami found himself in a small cabin. There was something cold wrapped around his head, but he couldn't seem to move to pull it off. He looked around the cozy place. Too fast. His head ached and throbbed. Well, this was just fine and dandy.

“You're awake!” someone exclaimed. Too loud. Togami scowled as his head throbbed painfully again. He managed to make a small shushing sound, but he doubted the other person would hear. A chuckle interrupted his thoughts, this time from a different voice.

“Wow, such a pitiful creature. I hope he's awake enough to listen to what we have to say. It's kind of important, y’know, Togami?” the second person said. Togami decided that this had to be a girl. A girl he knew all too well.

“C-Celestia Ludenberg, you fiend,” he whispered. He could practically hear her smirk. He closed his eyes, not wanting anything to distract him from the information he was about to recieve.

“So, you do remember the banshee that killed your family, yes? Well, apparently that very beast is active again. Oh, don't waste your energy by talking and asking questions. I'll explain. Witnesses described it the same way you did, more or less. So far, it had killed eight large families, not counting yours. That adds up to a total of approximately thirty-nine people in the past week. But that bitch-shee is doing something far worse than just killing families.

“For each dead family, she has left a single member alive. And these people -- not all human, by the way -- are left fragile and weak. She exploits that weakness, manipulating the poor person into joining her. I don't understand it myself, but I suppose it is a quite amazing idea. I just thought you should know.”

“Celes, that was pretty long. I'm not sure if he caught all that in his current state,” the first voice said. There was no other person that could be besides Kyoko Kirigiri. 

“I understood it fine, thank you very much,” Togami said, struggling to sit up. “So, basically, bitch-shee is on the loose and you two want me to do something about it? And she's building an army of brainwashed weaklings?”

“Yes, that's pretty much it. And please try to make up your own insult next time,” Celeste said bittersweetly.

“Yeah, yeah.” And with that, Kirigiri pushed him down on his back again, telling him to get more rest. He reluctantly obliged, still, after all these years, not used to being ordered around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright so bc of school my updating is even slower so expect one chapter every few weeks


	5. Five

Togami woke up again to the sound of crying. He lifted himself up with his elbows, not daring to move his leg. It was dark in the room he was in, the only light coming from up under the door. It flickered in sync with the sobs. Frowning, Togami touched his leg. He found it covered in something hard, dry, yet slightly sticky. He couldn't bend his knee, but other than that he could move his leg fine. Pulling himself out of bed, Togami dragged himself over to the door. It opened easily, and, peeking in, he saw a girl with long, purple hair. She was hunched over, facing away from him. She held a candle, letting the wax slide down her hand. Togami briefly wondered how much that must burn, if at all. He wasn't an expert at figuring out what species something was immediately, unlike a certain drill-haired witch. 

“S-sorry if I w-woke you up,” the girl whispered. It took the blond a few minutes to realize that she was talking to him. He just sighed in response. “Please don't yell at me!”

“Wha-? What made you think I'd yell at you?” Togami exclaimed. The girl turned to look at him, giving him a chance to look her over. There was a beauty mark right beneath her left eye, and she was extremely pale. In her hand devoid of a candle was a bunch of very large leaves. Her wide eyes were glassy, but the emptiness behind them scared Togami to the core. 

“Celeste and Kirigiri told me that you weren't that nice… I'm so sorry for judging you before I even got to know you!” she apologized loudly. Togami waved her off. 

“Who are you anyway?”

“M-my name is Mikan Tsumiki. Celeste contacted me that she had an injured warlock. I-I’m a nurse, you see,” Tsumiki explained. “You're Byakuya Togami, right?”

“Yes, that's right. Did Celeste tell you my name, too?” Togami asked. 

“A-actually, a ‘friend’ of mine knows all about you.” An eerie grin spread across her face. It was gone in an instant, however, replaced by a small frown and wide eyes. “D-did that sound creepy? I'm sorry!”

“... Who is this friend?” Togami asked warily. Tsumiki was beginning to freak him out.

“They don't like me disclosing any of their personal information…” she replied, looking away. “Anyway, um, how are you feeling? Does your leg hurt? You're not dizzy, are you?” 

“I'm fine, thanks,” he said. He wasn't sure how he felt about this girl taking care of him. Although he'd never admit it aloud, he would even prefer Celeste or that pesky fairy, Kirigiri. “I’ll be going back to bed now.”

“Oh, l-let me help you!” Tsumiki jumped up from the stool. 

“No! I don't need any help,” Togami yelled. Perhaps it was a little harsh, but he did not want this girl near him. He watched her small smile crumble. Deciding he didn't want to see the emotion that would cross her face next, Togami turned around, limped into the room he had been sleeping in, and slammed the door. He crawled over to the bed pathetically. Then he heard more voices. 

“Y-you! What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to never come back?” Celeste’s usual silky voice was gone. Instead was her rough, loud voice. She only used that one when she was so furious she couldn't even hide it. This was only the second time Togami had heard it, and it scared him half to death. The first time was when they were both seven years old. The details were fuzzy, but he remembered to always try to be on her good side.

“O-oh, Celestia! I was just leaving, actually. Sorry for bothering you,” Tsumiki said.

“What were you doing here in the first place?” Celeste yelled. Togami heard a slap and a crash. 

“Celeste, stop already,” Kirigiri, the voice of reason, scolded.

“But she - she…” Celeste sighed. Togami could envision her features relaxing into a seemingly-innocent smile. “Mikan, if you would please scram, that would be absolutely splendid.”

“Yes, m-ma’am,” Tsumiki whimpered. The next thing Togami knew, the door opened, showing Kirigiri. She had something in her hand, but Togami couldn't see it from so far away. She made her way to his bed, handing whatever it was to him. He accepted it, and realized she had brought him a spare pair of glasses. He thanked her and put them on. Everything was so much clearer, Togami could even see the red mark on Kirigiri’s face.

“Are you okay?” they asked in unison. Togami looked up at her expectantly, hoping she'd give in. She did.

“Yeah, I'm fine. It's not good for her to keep her emotions so bottled up. Sometimes it just comes out,” Kirigiri answered, rubbing her cheek. 

“You're one to talk about keeping your emotions bottled up,” Togami joked. She rolled her eyes.

“As are you,” she countered. “But really, are you okay? Tsumiki didn't see you, did she?”

“Yeah, we talked. Why?”

“She and Celeste used to be… partners,” Kirigiri scowled. “One day, Tsumiki just disappeared. When she came back, she was -- actually, this isn't my story to tell. Sorry, but you'll have to ask Celeste. Just know that she's not the kind of person you want to associate with.”

“What--?” Togami began.

“Wait, what's that on your leg?” Kirigiri gasped, covering her mouth with a gloved hand. 

“What? Didn't you guys do that?” he asked, though he knew what the answer was.

“No, you know we don't use herbal magic. That means she did something. Let me get Ce-- No, she's not in the right state of mind for this. Let me look at it.” She stroked the leafy cast gently. It unwrapped itself, dissolving the moment it left his leg. Once all of it had disappeared, Togami could move his leg perfectly fine. There was no pain at all. 

“You owe her now. Not Mikan, but her ‘friend’,” Celeste said from the door.

“So?” Togami asked. “If owe you, too. What's one more?” 

“Sorry, Togami, but you might as well be dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I saw someone else do this and thought it was cool. So some extra info that isn't that important to the story:
> 
> -The first time Celeste flipped out on Togami was when he cheated in a game of go fish. Of course, he had done some more annoying things that day too.


	6. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE I JUST HAVENT HAD MUCH INSPIRATION FOR THIS STORY IM SO SORRY

There was no way Togami was going to stay at Celeste’s for long. The negative atmosphere was affecting his mood and his dreams. He dreamed of death and abandonment. There were a couple about certain green eyes, but they were brief and insignificant. 

“Hey, it's you! Togo, right?” a voice called out. Togami looked up to see a pink-haired vampire grinning at him and groaned. Not this guy again. “Where’ve you been? The place is too nice without you here.”

“It's none of your business, Souda. And I'm not ‘Togo’, I'm Togami,” Togami deadpanned. Kazuichi Souda winked and sent him a thumbs-up. 

“Alright, got it. Would you like to know why I'm here today?”

“Not particularly, no.”

“Well, I was about to talk to Miss Sonia, right?” Togami shook his head. “And suddenly the sun comes up! I just barely made it out of there with my life.”

“Sonia as in the harpy? You're hopeless,” Togami said. Souda was one of the most obnoxious vampires he knew, right beside Fukawa. One of the things that made him so annoying was how obsessed he was with a certain harpy. It reminded Togami of Fukawa and himself.

“Who else? She's so pretty…” Souda trailed off, almost in a daze. Togami was glad to see him go away towards Celeste. The blond still couldn't fathom why she helped the vampires as much as she did. She barely got any profit from it and almost all vampires Togami knew were disgusting. Why would anyone help out a creature like that?

After Souda left, the house was quiet again. Not one of the three people there spoke; it felt as if a cloud of tension had settled around their heads. None of them did anything to clear it. It was horrible. Celeste sat behind the counter, writing something down. Kirigiri had shrunk herself down and was sitting on Celeste’s head, her wings fluttering every so often. And then there was Togami, who sat off in the corner. He was reading a book he'd read about a hundred times before. It was the only book that wasn't a spellbook that Celeste owned. He had read all of those, too. 

“I can't take this,” Kirigiri blurted. Her voice was almost monotonous, with only the slightest edge. She hopped off of Celeste, growing so she was about the same height as the witch. “We obviously need to talk about these problems. If this tension continues, I might have to leave. So please, just say something.”

“There's nothing to say,” Celeste said, shrugging. 

“You could always, y’know, explain to me why I might as well be dead. You just left it at that and left the room the other night,” Togami spoke up. Celeste looked over at him disdainfully, but the look was replaced quickly by her fake innocent smile.

“I'm not sure you'd understand even if I d--”

“I have a right to know, Celestia! It's my life we're talking about,” he interrupted. Right then, someone else walked in. It was a man Togami had seen before, with pale skin and red eyes. Trailing behind him was an even paler man. This one had grey-green eyes and messy white hair. 

“Hello. My name is Izuru Kamukura, vampire, and this is Nagito Komaeda, elf. I have been told that you could assist me with something. Is this true?” the black-haired male, Kamukura, asked. The paler of the two, Komaeda, appeared to be attempting to hide in his shadow.

“Of course! What do you need?” Celeste asked, probably grateful for the sudden subject change. 

“A few days ago, there was an explosion. It left the elves’ village smelling like burnt wood and magic. Since you're a witch, I figured you could tell us -- I mean, me -- what exactly that was,” Kamukura answered. Togami refused to look at him in fear that the vampire would recognize him. 

“Oh, that silly thing? I promise it was a mere accident. I had just mixed the wrong things in my potion. I apologize if it inconvenienced you,” Celeste answered cheerfully. This, Togami was sure, was a lie. Celeste never made potions; she claimed they put her in a bad mood. 

“I see,” Kamukura said skeptically. “If you'll excuse us, we'll be -- Oh, it's you!” 

Togami inwardly groaned. Of course he'd notice him at the last minute. Why did he have such poor luck? 

“Oh… Hi,” Togami replied awkwardly. Kamukura’s face didn't shift in the slightest.

“Do you live here?” he asked plainly. Togami didn't know how to respond to that. It was true that he had spent most of his life there, but did he really consider it his home? 

“No, I don't live here,” he answered. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he might have seen Celeste and Kirigiri’s faces fall momentarily. 

“I see. Would you mind coming with me? I think I may have something for you.”

“Huh?” Togami asked, immediately suspicious.

“Don't worry. I'm not going to harm you. You could bring someone with you, if you really are that uncomfortable,” Kamukura offered simply, subtlely placing a hand on Komaeda’s shoulder. 

“No, no, that won't be necessary. I'll come along,” Togami said. Again, Celeste and Kirigiri seemed to deflate in his peripheral vision.

“Alright, let's head out. I hope you don't mind if we make a quick stop on the way, though.” Togami said that he did not mind, and the three males walked out of the shop without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More stuff about this universe!! :))
> 
> Elves are considered the lowest in this society, and are usually vampire slaves. The vampires force them to do as they say usually with their hypnosis but in rare cases the vampire will use positive or negative motivations for their slave.
> 
> Did that make sense? Oh btw I live for comments ;)))


	7. Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote this instead of finishing my science fair project goodbye straight a's

The trio walked and walked. Togami’s legs were beginning to feel like jelly. He could hear Kamukura whispering, either to himself or the elf beside him Togami wasn't sure. Suddenly, Kamukura stopped. 

“I'm really sorry, but Kom - ahem - my elf needs to stop for a while. I hope you don't mind,” he said. “Stay here for a few minutes, please.” 

And, with that, Kamukura and Komaeda disappeared. Sighing, Togami sat on a fallen tree trunk. He wasn't really sure why he had agreed to go with the vampire and elf. Maybe he just wanted to get away from the negative atmosphere at Celeste’s, even if only for a while. He looked up at the canopy of leaves, frowning. He heard footsteps, but he figured it was just his two companions returning. 

But then he heard the soft gasp behind him. 

“H-hello again,” a familiar voice mumbled. Togami turned around to see one of his least favorite people standing right there, in the middle of the forest. 

“Ah, Makoto Naegi, was it?” he asked, trying to sound as cool as he could. The last time this human had seen him, he had been a huge wreck. His main goal was to regain his dignity. Had he even had it in the first place?

“Uh, yes. Look, I'm here for my friend, Hajime. He went out for firewood last night and hasn't been home since. Have you seen any sign of him?” Naegi asked. He looked as if he might pass out any minute. 

“You think he'd be this deep in? Where all us ‘monsters’ are? You must really be an idiot.”

“Well, I couldn't find him back there so I just kept coming in. Will you help me find him or not?” Naegi frowned, clearly not up for dealing with anyone else's nonsense. Togami glanced in the direction Kamukura and Komaeda had gone off to, but turned back to Naegi just as quickly. 

“You'll just get yourself killed out here all alone.” Naegi’s face fell. “No, no! I mean, you'd just do better with me around.”

“Well, let's go,” Naegi said, holding out his hand. Togami stared at it for a second before standing up on his own. Naegi furrowed his brow slightly, and the two walked off. 

They walked in tense silence, the only sound coming from their feet crunching leaves and twigs on the ground. Naegi occasionally called out his friend’s name, but otherwise neither spoke. Before Togami knew it, the sun had set.

“Hey, you probably shouldn’t be out here at night. It’s not that safe, especially for a human like yourself,” he said. 

“I understand your concern, but I can’t just give up on Hajime,” Naegi replied. Concern? Was Togami really concerned? “And besides, I have you here with me. I’m sure it won’t be too bad.”

“No, you don’t un--” Togami was interrupted by sweet yet eerie singing. Had they walked all the way to the ocean? Listening harder, he did recognize the sound of waves hitting the sand. But if they were near the ocean at night, then that would mean... 

“Naegi?” Togami looked down where the brunet had been standing, but there was no sign of him. Why did these things always happen to him? Rushing towards the sound of the singing, he saw Naegi stumbling over his own feet trying to get to the water. Togami watched, frozen, as he sloppily took off his shoes and tossed them into the ocean. The next clothing item to be removed was his jacket, quickly followed by his shirt. By now, Naegi was almost knee-deep in the water. 

Then the siren appeared. She had such pale skin, and her long blue hair flowed around her like the waves below her. Naegi was suddenly still, mesmerized, while Togami was finally able to move. He ran faster than he ever had in his entire life span, desperate to save the hypnotized boy from such an untimely death. By the time he reached said boy, though, the siren was already holding his hand. Togami lunged, grabbing Naegi by the waist just as he was pulled underwater. 

The water was pitch black, and if not for the full moon, Togami wouldn’t have known which way was up. He kicked his long legs with all his might. His head broke through and he could breathe again, but there was a hand pulling him back down. Why the hell were sirens so persistent? He screamed at her, kicking and struggling as much as he could with a body in his arms. Her grip on his ankle loosened, and he used the opportunity to swim up again. This time, instead of wasting time, he immediately swam to shore. 

Naegi was unconscious, and Togami wasn’t exactly sure what to do. He had covered the boy’s nose and mouth underwater so he wouldn’t drown, but what if it hadn’t worked? What if he was already dead? Togami frantically searched for a pulse, and sighed in relief when he found one. Resting his head on Naegi’s bare chest, he took deep breaths. After several minutes, he ended up falling asleep. 

+-+-+-+-

“Huh? Wh-where am I? Why are you…?” Togami was so rudely woken up by these loud questions almost right in his ear. Groaning, he sat up to see Naegi staring at him in shock. He reached up to clean his glasses, but they weren’t on his face. When had that happened? Why did he always lose them? 

“A siren tried to kill you. You’re alive. I’m tired,” Togami said curtly. He was still wet, he realized with a scowl. 

“What? I don’t remember any of that,” Naegi murmured. “Oh! Here are your glasses, by the way. They were on the ground.” Togami almost snatched them out of the human’s hand. 

“Togami, why would you save him like that? I thought you were supposed to be heartless,” a melodic voice whined. Looking up, Togami saw the siren from earlier. Her skin almost glowed in the moonlight. 

“Ugh, Maizono, just leave already. You’ve had your fun,” he replied, not in the mood for this. He was never in the mood for sirens’ shenanigans, now that he thought about it.

“Aww, don’t be like that. You know I can’t resist such a cutie!” Maizono winked at Naegi. The latter stared back, shivering. His green eyes were wide in what could have been fear or awe, Togami wasn’t sure. 

“Maizono, you are simply a nuisance.” He stood up, holding out a hand for the shivering boy lying on the sand. “We’ll be going, right, Naegi?” 

Naegi didn’t respond.

“Ahem. Naegi, don’t you want to find your friend? We have wasted enough time with that fool, wouldn’t you agree? Let’s go.”

No answer.

“Naegi, I swear to-- Oh, yeah.” Togami had forgotten. The thing about sirens was that even if you were saved, you’re still tied to the trance. But of course, the only cure to this was…

“Naegi~! Is that your name? What’s your first name, sweetie?” Maizono teased. 

“M-Makoto,” Naegi answered immediately, his voice airy and weak. 

“Ahh… Makoto Naegi! Such a cute name befitting such an adorable person!” The siren seemed to have an idea. “M-Makoto~! You really are just so irresistable. I-I wanna--”

“Stop right there, you disgusting freak,” Togami yelled, covering his own ears. There was no way he was going to jump into the freezing water again, so he was just going to have to break Naegi’s trance. Mentally preparing himself, he picked the boy up and delivered the cure. 

A warlock kiss.

Naegi tasted like seawater and his lips were so chapped it almost worried Togami. He pulled away, and glared up at Maizono. “We’ll be going now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sirens have no effect on most supernatural beings, but if the creature had a weak resolve at the time, then they were susceptible to being entranced.


	8. Eight

Togami almost regretted kissing Naegi. As he dragged the smaller boy away from the ocean, the latter simply gaped at him. Naegi’s eyes were significantly clearer now, but his face was redder than a tomato. Togami wondered if he had a fever. Could that be an unknown symptom of almost being killed by a siren? Togami had never done this before. What if what he had read was outdated? Maybe there was a better way to do it nowadays.

“H-hey… What was that?” Naegi spoke up, and the blond inwardly sighed in relief at the sound of his voice. It wasn’t weak like it had been earlier.

“What was what?” Togami stopped in his tracks, turning to face Naegi.

“You know! The kiss. Wh--?”

“Do you remember the siren?” Naegi nodded. “Her name?” Naegi nodded again. “Well, while you were completely infatuated with the beast, I decided not to be as useless as you. So, I freed you from your little curse, and voila! Here we are.”

“Oh. Uh, don’t overreact or anything, but you seemed to be… enjoying it. The kiss, I mean,” Naegi trailed off, looking away from the warlock. Said warlock wore an expression of complete horror.

“Excuse me?”

“I mean--! You know what, forget I said anything,” Naegi said, and his face seemed to flush even more. Worry bubbling in his chest, Togami put his hand against the boy’s forehead and cheeks. There was no way it was healthy for a human to have such warm skin.

“Do you feel cold or hot right now?” Togami interrogated.

“Cold, why?”

“Do you feel dizzy? A headache?”

“I’ve had a headache since I woke up on the sand,” Naegi answered as if it wasn’t a big deal. Togami sighed, but squatted down despite himself. Thankfully, Naegi seemed to understand without making Togami embarrass himself. “N-no! I can walk just fine!”

And then Naegi collapsed to the ground.

For a couple minutes, all Togami could do was stare down at him in disappointment. Then he groaned and picked up Naegi, adjusting him so he was giving the human a piggy-back ride. Naegi kept mumbling under his breath, and Togami just wished he would shut up. He needed just a minute of silence so he could figure out where he should go. His thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt when Naegi said his name. Why was he so affected by such an unremarkable occurrence? What was going on with him?

Togami huffed, frustrated, and decided to continue the search for Hajime Hinata. And so, with Naegi’s hot breath against his bare neck, Togami began walking in the direction of the elf village. What did they call it again? Jabberwock Village? It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that they might have some medicine for Naegi and possibly a clue on Hinata’s whereabouts.

It didn’t take long to get there, but to Togami it felt like hours. Naegi wouldn’t be quiet, and he was actually heavier than what the warlock had expected. How such a short human could hold that much weight was a mystery. Togami sighed and bounced Naegi higher on his back. What a hassle. Togami moved his arms so that he could hold the boy up with one and knock with the other. The response was immediate this time, unlike a few nights ago. But who would open the door but the one person Togami was looking for.

“You?” Hinata yelled. Togami was completely dumbfounded. Why was Hajime Hinata, of all people, at an elf village? “What did you _do_? Why is Makoto--?”

“Long story short: He has a high fever. I need the elves to heal him. Will they?” Togami asked. He wasn’t quite sure why he needed the human to be healed, but he reasoned that he wasn’t going to just let his kiss to go to waste.

“I- Of course, bring him up.” Hinata practically dragged Togami inside the tree. At the top, the elves were all staring at the trio. This was so unlike when Togami came a few nights ago. Then they had been minding their own business and leaving him alone.

“Elves?” Naegi mumbled in Togami’s ear. Togami jumped and turned his head to see the brunet’s face. His eyes were half-lidded, but the green of his eyes still gleamed brightly. Naegi wrapped his arms around and snuggled his face into Togami’s neck.

“Follow me, I guess,” Hinata said awkwardly, gesturing towards a small room a few feet away. He started walking before Togami could form a response, so he had no choice.

The room was just like the room Togami stayed the last time he was here, but with sharper details because of his glasses. The only difference was all the medicines lying around. Hinata directed him to carefully lay Naegi onto the bed -- with emphasis on carefully. What did he think Togami would do? Hurl the boy into the wall?

“Alright, that’s all you have to do. I’ve got it from here, so you can go ahead and head back home,” Hinata said bittersweetly, grabbing a… bandage? What was he going to do with a bandage?

“What? No way. You don’t even know what happened! How could you help any more than I can?”

“You are a warlock, aren’t you? Why haven’t you used your magic to heal him? That would have taken a lot less work than bringing him all the way here. I figured that you weren’t willing to help after you brought him.” Oh, right. Togami hadn’t thought of that. That would have been much simpler. But he had found Hinata by bringing Naegi here, right?

“Well--” he started.

“Hinata? Are you in here?” a small voice asked from the entrance. Togami looked over to see a familiar face with long purple hair. You had to be kidding.

“Hey, Tsumiki! Perfect timing! Can you help me with Naegi? He’s not doing so great,” Hinata asked. This was when Tsumiki seemed to notice Togami, and her face twisted into something like disgust for less than a second. How rude.

“A-actually, I came to tell you that Komaeda’s looking for you. I have to t-take care of some things,” she stammered out. Hinata made a sound of acknowledgement (or was it disappointment?) and turned back to Naegi. With Hinata not looking, Tsumiki winked at Togami knowingly and left. Hinata sighed, and glanced over at Togami.

“I have to find Komaeda now. Don’t. Touch. Anything,” he deadpanned. The blond simply scowled and nodded in response. He watched as Hinata left the little room.  
“Yeah, sure. I won’t touch anything,” Togami grumbled once he was gone. “I’ll just, y’know, heal your best friend.” He rested his hand against Naegi’s forehead, letting the energy flow down his arm and pass through his fingers into Naegi’s skin. The boy’s eyes were open immediately.

“Togami? Where are we?” he asked as soon as his eyes focused. Togami frowned down at him, his hand still on Naegi’s forehead.

“Jabberwock Village. The elf village. Hinata’s here.”

“Really? Where is he?”

“He just stepped out for a moment after… he healed you. He’ll be back in a minute,” Togami lied. He wasn’t even sure why he was lying.

“Healed me?” Naegi asked.

“You had a high fever. You’re fine now,” Togami reassured, removing his hand. Naegi sat up and got a good look around. His green eyes stopped on Togami with a single eyebrow raised. For some reason, Togami couldn’t help but stare at the way his lips curled up on the one side with it.

“I can’t say I enjoy being lied to, Togami,” Naegi informed him. “You magicked me back to health, didn’t you?”

Togami was speechless. How could he have been seen through so easily? “I- Yes, I did. How did you…?”

“Hajime doesn’t know the first thing about first aid. He thought that the best way to get rid of a cold was to soak all your clothes in hot water and wear them wet,” Naegi explained, giggling. Togami resisted the urge to laugh along with him. He watched the way Naegi’s face completely transformed when he laughed. His eyes closed, his cheeks turned a healthy pink, his nose scrunched up, and his eyebrows went high up on his forehead. The only word to describe it was adorable.

“Wait, so that’s how you knew I was lying?” Togami asked, interrupting the shorter boy’s laughing fit.

“Well there’s that, but I also saw your magic. I felt it course through my head.”

“Huh? That’s not how it works on humans. Humans aren’t supposed to be able to tell that a warlock has used magic on them,” Togami protested. Naegi merely shrugged.

“Well, I can. Oh, did you know that your magic is like a midday sky? It’s blue with some white and it’s warm,” he said enthusiastically.

“Magic is colorless. It’s an invisible energy, almost like air. You must have been hallucinating. It also doesn’t have a temperature; not even if you use it to make fire or ice. It must have been your fever,” Togami reasoned. Naegi looked doubtful, but nodded anyway.

“Oh, well. I’m gonna go say hi to Hajime,” he stated and stood up. He walked to the entrance, but turned to look back at Togami with a gleam in his eyes. “You coming?”

Togami couldn’t think of any answer other than, “Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaa sorry this was a day late my wifi has been funky  
> anyway:  
> Naegi isn't that great at first aid either. In fact, Komaru is pretty much the doctor of the house.


	9. Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter nein finally

Togami followed Naegi out of the room, only to come face-to-face with Mikan Tsumiki. She looked as surprised as Togami felt, but her face quickly twisted into one of nervousness. Togami wasn’t sure if it was real or not.

“O-oh! Mr. Togami and Mr. Naegi, where are you two g-going?” she squeaked out. Naegi smiled at her warmly while Togami glared. 

“We’re just going to look for Hajime,” Naegi answered. His lips curved up a bit more. “There’s no need to be so nervous, you know.”

“Ah, sorry! It’s just--”

“Don’t bother with her, Naegi. We should get going, don’t you agree?” Togami interrupted. He would rather not have his mood ruined by the purple-haired girl. Naegi gave him a sour look.

“Sorry about him, Tsumiki, you can continue,” Naegi said. Togami almost gaped at him. Didn’t he want to go talk to Hinata as soon as possible? What was going through this human’s head?

“No, no. I-I wouldn’t want to i-inconvenience either of you! You go on your way now,” Tsumiki responded, hurrying away with her head down. Naegi turned to Togami, scowling. (And although Togami would never admit it aloud, he was actually kind of scared by it).

“That was so rude! You can’t just interrupt people like that! Don’t you know proper manners?”

“Of course I do, but she was in the way and wasting my time,” Togami replied coldly. Naegi’s scowl deepened. 

“What do you mean? We don’t have a time limit!” Togami simply averted his gaze and muttered a small, “whatever”. Naegi sighed but grabbed his hand, dragging him in the opposite direction Tsumiki went. They passed elves mulling about, which normally would not have bothered Togami. The main reason it bothered him now was because they were all staring directly at him. There was no exception. Every single elf was watching him alone intently. What was going on?

Naegi led him through the village as though he had memorized the place by heart. But that couldn’t be, could it? Humans usually weren’t welcome in the elves’ trees. Then Togami remembered Hinata being the one to greet him when he arrived. Hinata was human, too, wasn’t he? Togami doubted the elves would trust him to greet anyone at the door, much less some mortal. 

Naegi suddenly stopped, effectively breaking Togami away from his thoughts. 

“So, uhm, Togami?”

“Yes?”

“Please tell me you’ve noticed everyone staring at you. It’s creepy, right? This isn’t normal, is it?” Naegi asked, his voice wavering slightly. 

“Of course it’s not normal, idiot,” Togami replied. He glanced around only to realize the elves had all frozen in place. None of them even blinked. Togami was reminded of something from his past all of a sudden.

“Why have they stopped?” Naegi’s eyes were wide. 

Togami didn’t answer as realization crept upon him.

“Please, Togami, what is going on?”

The only response Naegi received was the color draining from the warlock’s face.

“Answer me, please!” 

Naegi’s grip on his hand tightened considerably, and Togami immediately knew what was going on. 

“We need to run,” he whispered. Naegi gaped up at him. “I said, run!” Togami yelled. The other nodded and ran, his hand never leaving Togami’s. The latter was faster and basically dragged Naegi away. As luck would have it, as soon as the two started moving, the elves seemed to come back to life. And they all were intent on chasing them. Why was history repeating itself? Why did this kind of stuff happen to Togami? What had he done to deserve it?

“Wh-what is happening?” Naegi shouted. Togami shook his head. He couldn’t explain this to Naegi. The poor boy would probably have no idea what to do. Hell, Togami didn’t even know what to do. He tried to think of a plan, his mind racing. He thought of the smartest people he knew. What would Kirigiri do in this situation? Probably shrink herself and fly away. Okay, so Kirigiri was no help. What about Celeste? What would she do? Togami remembered how unpredictable Celeste was. Why was everyone he knew so useless?

“DUCK!” Naegi cried out. Togami did, narrowly avoiding being killed by an arrow to the head. Now they were bringing weapons into this? Completely unfair! 

“What the h--!”

“Togami, we’re going to jump down!” Naegi interrupted (a clear contradiction of what he had said to Togami a few minutes before). 

“Do you have a death wish? No way am I jumping off this thing!” Togami yelled.

“Do you? I have no doubt we’ll die up here anyway, so why not? There’s a better chance of survival if we jump!” Togami didn’t know what to say to that. Naegi was right.

“F-fine, fine! We’re jumping!” Togami gave in. There happened to be a ledge straight ahead. He decided to do a countdown. “Three, two, one, NOW!”

And then he jumped with Naegi in tow. 

+-+-+-+

When he came to, Togami was lying face-first on the ground. There was a weight on his back, and he couldn’t figure out what it was. All he knew about his current situation was that he hurt. His head felt like it was repeatedly being beaten with a pipe. His ribs ached and his legs felt like they were on fire. Could he even cast some sort of pain-killing spell in thiis condition?

The weight on his back moved, and Togami remembered. He had jumped out of the tree village like an idiot. Naegi must have landed on Togami's back, that lucky bastard. Naegi rolled off of him with a grunt. 

“Are you okay?” the brunet asked. Togami tried for a snarky remark, but when he opened his mouth all that came out was a painful groan. Naegi made a noise of understanding. “I’ll look for anything that can help. Don’t go anywhere.”

As if Togami could if he wanted to. Despite the ringing in his ears, he heard Naegi stand up and walk away. So now he was all alone in his misery. He thought of how he could quickly and easily heal himself. The best way would probably be to heal his body one injury at a time. Although that wouldn’t necessarily be quick, Togami decided to do it that way. He didn’t have a time limit or anything. He started with his head, sighing when the ringing and pain stopped. He then healed his legs, and after that his ribs. Once he was all healed, he sat up. 

“Naegi, you can stop looking for things. I’m fine,” he called out. There was a bloodcurdling scream in response. Bursting to his feet, Togami rushed in the direction it came from. He found Naegi slowly backing away from something on the ground. He was about to ask what was wrong but then he saw it. 

There, in a puddle of blood, was the corpse of Hajime Hinata.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hooray first death! rest in peace hinata ily
> 
> If in that situation, Celeste would have taken her chances against the elves. There's no saying whether she would win or lose.


End file.
